1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a robot system and a workpiece picking method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various bin-picking techniques have been proposed in recent years. In the bin-picking techniques, workpieces, such as bolts, that are identical in shape and are placed randomly (in bulk) in a bin are picked from the bin and handled. An example of such a technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-128201.
In this technique, information about three-dimensional positions and orientations (three-dimensional information) within a bin is obtained before a grasping operation. At the same time, a portion of a workpiece, the portion being to be grasped by a handling device, is determined in advance. On the basis of the obtained three-dimensional information, a workpiece to be grasped is detected and a handling operation is performed.